Ryoko Resurrected
Ryoko Resurrected is the first episode of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki. The episode was released September 25, 1992. Plot Ordinary high-school student Tenchi Masaki is spending his summer vacation at the family shrine deep in the mountains of Okayama, training under the supervision of his grandfather, the shrine keeper. On this particular day, Tenchi has ignored his housekeeping duties and is searching the shrine office for his grandfather's keys. It isn't long before he is caught red-handed, and his grandfather challenges him to take the keys off him. Tenchi lunges at his grandfather, but his attack is effortlessly blocked and Tenchi himself sent crashing into a closet. As his grandfather leaves, he reminds Tenchi that he must train harder and get on with his chores. However, against all odds, Tenchi has managed to grab the keys! In high spirits, Tenchi heads for the forbidden cave near the shrine, a cave which has been locked for many years. Legend tells of a demon that is sealed inside the cave along with the sword that defeated it. Inside the cave, Tenchi finds the legendary sword, its blade rusted and useless. Giving it an experimental swing, Tenchi shatters the blade against a rock, which splits down the middle, sealing the cave entrance and opening a secret passage. With the exit blocked, he has no other option but to venture deeper into the cave, taking the remains of the sword with him. He soon comes to a huge underground chamber, and at the center he finds the mummified remains of the demon from the legend. To his horror, the demon begins to move as he approaches. Too petrified to run, he stares into the demon's eyes which glow yellow behind the mask it wears. Suddenly, the hilt of the sword, which he has tucked into his belt, glows brightly as the demon touches him, and it emits a burst of light making the demon stagger backwards. Spotting his opportunity, Tenchi flees the cave, reassembles the sacred sealing rock by wrapping it in vines, and the passageway closes behind him. At school the next day, Tenchi broods over his encounter with the demon. After a disagreement with a classmate, he storms off to the school roof and dozes off. As he sleeps, he dreams about his meeting with the demon the previous day. When he awakes at last, night has come, and he finds himself being watched by a strange young woman. She introduces herself as Ryoko, and when Tenchi spots her glowing yellow eyes, he realizes she must be demon from the cave. Ryoko tells him that, having been imprisoned in the cave for 700 years, she is very angry, and wants to take out her frustrations on him! Tenchi protests, telling her that it was his ancestor, Yosho, that imprisoned her, but she attacks him nonetheless. The terrified Tenchi makes a run for it, with Ryoko in hot pursuit hurling explosive fireballs and a sword of light which she produces from a glowing red gem on her wrist. Tenchi finally escapes her by hiding in one of the school science labs, but finds that Ryoko's destructive rampage has ruptured one of the gas pipes. He is about to make himself scarce when Ryoko catches up with him. Cornered and helpless, Tenchi resorts to the old "what's that outside the window" trick to distract her and, when it actually works, makes a dash for it. When Ryoko realizes she has been tricked, the sparks from her weapon set off a gas explosion. Tenchi assumes Ryoko must have been killed in the explosion, but his relief is short-lived as she steps out of the flames, charred and blackened and angrier than ever! However, luck is on his side; as Ryoko heads for his current hiding place, she spots her reflection in a mirror and stops to tidy herself up. With time to think, he realizes that the gem on her wrist is the source of her terrifying powers, and thinks he can easily beat her now. Alas, his loud exuberance gives away his location, and Ryoko resumes her attack. He flees via the window, but (literally) bumps into her again outside. As she rushes to attack him, the handle of the legendary sword, which he was keeping in his satchel, bursts into life and protect him with a blade of light. The sword cuts Ryoko's hand off, and the gem on her wrist explodes. Tenchi apologies to her for cutting her hand off, but with a grin Ryoko simply produces a new one from thin air. She then vanishes, leaving Tenchi to do a disappearing act of his own before he gets into trouble for blowing up the school! Tenchi arrives back home, exhausted after his combat with Ryoko. Thinking he will never see her again, he slumps relieved onto his bed, only to find that Ryoko is already waiting for him there, fast asleep under the covers!